RADIO
Caleb Douglas a Compelling Waiver Add Vs. Pats
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Caleb Douglas is an intriguing waiver add ahead of a Week 8 home clash with the division-rival New England Patriots. Douglas returned from an ankle injury last weekend to post the first two touchdowns of his career against the Jets. The Houston, Texas native is an enticing blend of size (6-foot-4) and speed (4.39 40-yard dash), and had it on display when he gashed New York for a 63-yard catch-and-run for his second TD of the day. Unfortunately, Douglas' volume could be a problem for fantasy, as he's notched precisely two catches and three targets over his last two appearances. However, it's at least encouraging that he fell behind only teammate Malik Washington in snaps. As it stands, the 23-year-old must overcome a mostly ineffective Dolphins pass attack and his near-exclusive perimeter role to be a consistent fantasy producer. On the bright side, his athletic profile and the chance to become Miami's No. 1 pass catcher make him a compelling option. Douglas is RotoBaller's PPR WR35 for Sunday's matchup.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Wan'Dale Robinson a Low-End Flex Off Waivers
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson offers low-end PPR appeal for this weekend's road matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. Robinson had a nice string of production from Weeks 3-5 with double-digit fantasy-point efforts. Unfortunately, owners who continued to roll with him were met with back-to-back busts in fine matchups. While the results were suboptimal, Robinson has remained involved and stands a good chance to outproduce the two duds in Week 8 against the Bengals. Teammate Carnell Tate (shoulder) is ruled out, and Calvin Ridley (hip) is questionable with his own injury. Robinson also has a strong matchup in Cincinnati. The Bengals' defense is improved from years past, but by no means a scary opponent for fantasy wideouts. Slated for increased opportunity, owners can slot Robinson into their fantasy lineups as a plug-and-play low-end flex with slightly more upside than usual in a softer matchup.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Chig Okonkwo Gaining Momentum Ahead of Divisional Outing
Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo has put together two straight viable performances and could be a nice add for tight-end-needy teams coming out of his Week 7 bye. Okonkwo quietly led Washington in targets (13), receptions (11), and yards (129) in their two games prior to a week off, and should continue to see a reliable target share with wide receiver Terry McLaurin (knee) missing the remainder of the campaign. The former Tennessee Titan will have to contend with veteran wideout Stefon Diggs and rookie Antonio Williams for targets, although neither is out there on as many snaps as him. Moreover, Okonkwo appears to be developing some chemistry with quarterback Jayden Daniels, and offers nice upside in the YAC department. He'll get a boost this week against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that's currently a bottom-seven unit in the league against the pass (239.9 yards per game).
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Khalil Shakir a Steady PPR Streamer in Week 8
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir draws interest as a reliable PPR option in deeper formats ahead of a meeting with the visiting Baltimore Ravens this weekend. Shakir has been a decent play over his last three outings, though he notched more than four catches just once in that span. Numbers aside, the 26-year-old's target volume has been fine for fantasy, and he's typically in the mix for most of Buffalo's snaps as the team does well to move him around the formation. Teammate DJ Moore's (shoulder) potential return dampens Shakir's upside, but the latter could still have a nice role - particularly in a game with a projected 54.5-point over/under. Shakir may not be the high-volume asset he was in recent seasons, but a favorable matchup and uncertainty around Moore's game status keep him on the fantasy radar for at least one more go. The fifth-year pro is a fine deep-league stream as RotoBaller's PPR WR45.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Antonio Williams an Intriguing Plug-and-Play WR in Expanded Role
Washington Commanders wide receiver Antonio Williams should continue to occupy a substantial role in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles, which makes him an intriguing streamer in fantasy football. The Commanders recently placed Terry McLaurin (knee) on injured reserve, leaving Williams in the No. 2 receiver role behind Stefon Diggs. McLaurin is out for the season, so Williams has a chance to solidify his rest-of-season outlook if he is productive on Sunday against Philadelphia. Williams had a season-high 69% snap share and eight targets in the last game that McLaurin missed, so we know that the rookie from Clemson will continue to handle a large workload this week and beyond. Managers can absolutely justify adding Williams off the waiver wire and immediately plugging him into their fantasy football starting lineup for Week 8. As it stands, he has jumped all the way up to WR33 in RotoBaller's latest half-PPR rankings for this week.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jordyn Tyson a Must-Stash Receiver Despite Delayed Recovery
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) should continue to be stashed in all fantasy leagues, even though rostering him has required more patience than expected. Tyson opened the season on injured reserve, and it was initially reported that he would return around the end of September or the start of October. Instead, we're turning the calendar to November, and Tyson is still on IR. Stashing Tyson has definitely required more patience, but that patience should pay off when he does eventually make his NFL debut. The first-round pick is viewed as one of the most intriguing rookies in dynasty leagues, and he'll have similar upside in redraft fantasy football once he's activated. Presumably, Tyson will step into the No. 2 receiver role behind Chris Olave. The No. 2 receiver role in a productive, pass-heavy offense like New Orleans should make him a fringe WR2/WR3 on a weekly basis. There's no reason a player like that should be on the waiver wire, even in shallower leagues. Managers should quickly add and stash Tyson wherever he's available.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Austin Ekeler a Dart Throw in PPR Leagues for Week 8
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler lacks rushing upside, but he could carve out enough receiving volume to get onto the fringe of the fantasy radar in PPR leagues for Week 8. The Commanders have placed Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) on injured reserve, bumping Ekeler up to the No. 2 running back role behind Rachaad White for Sunday's contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. Although White has a pass-catching background, similar to Ekeler, the Commanders may choose to restructure his role while he temporarily fills in for Croskey-Merritt. If White gets more early-down rushing work, then this will open the door for Ekeler to rotate in on passing downs, giving him some intrigue in PPR leagues. His ceiling is capped, but we do think he has a decent chance to eclipse his previous season-high snap share of 27%. We'd rather find a safer option for the RB3/flex spot this week, but he at least warrants a little bit of consideration in PPR leagues with 14+ teams.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Adonai Mitchell Belongs on Bench After Being Overtaken by Rookie
New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell can be benched in most fantasy leagues ahead of his Week 8 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mitchell finished last season strong and opened the 2026 campaign on a positive note, but a four-week absence set him back significantly. He returned to action in Week 7 and caught zero of his three targets on a 44% snap share. Evidently, Mitchell had the No. 2 receiver role before his injury, but he has since fallen to No. 3 on the depth chart after being overtaken by rookie Omar Cooper Jr. Now, Cooper and Garrett Wilson are the only Jets receivers who can be started with confidence, while Mitchell is a much riskier play with a very low floor. Mitchell has a favorable matchup against the Raiders this week, but we'd prefer to fill our flex spot with someone who isn't the No. 3 receiver in a bad offense.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Kenny Gainwell Not a Reliable Flex Play Against Atlanta
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell (hip) accrued some garbage-time fantasy points last week, but we don't expect that to happen again in Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons. On the injury front, it's worth noting that Gainwell is listed as questionable but expected to play. Last week was the first time this season that Gainwell had more than five carries or more than 20 rushing yards. It was also just his second game with more than 5.8 fantasy points in PPR leagues. For the most part, Gainwell has spent this season in a clear backup role behind workhorse ball-carrier Bucky Irving. We expect that trend to continue in Week 8, with Gainwell's only clear path to production being a positive game script environment in garbage time. For now, the 27-year-old is best viewed as a handcuff, so he's still worth stashing on the bench for fantasy managers who also have Irving on their roster. However, he shouldn't find his way into the starting lineup in leagues with 14 or fewer teams.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Denny Hamlin Wins Pole, Now Needs a Clutch Race at Martinsville on Sunday
Denny Hamlin won the pole for this weekend's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the first step in potentially having a maximum-points day on Sunday. Heading into the final two races of the season, Hamlin is 73 points behind Kyle Larson in the Championship standings, so he will be looking to have a maximum-points day here this weekend to close the gap as much as possible before the season finale at Homestead next weekend. Martinsville is a phenomenal track for Denny Hamlin, as he has six wins here and an average finish of 10.2 over 41 career starts. Over the last eight races here, Denny has posted six top-five finishes, and only one result worse than 11th. As far as DFS goes this weekend, Hamlin is a must-play, even at his high salary ($12,000 on DraftKings), as the No. 11 Toyota could absolutely dominate and win this race on Sunday afternoon.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Brian Thomas Jr. a Risky Flex Play for Week 8
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has been a non-factor in this offense for weeks. He hasn't recorded a reception since Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. His role has been reduced in recent weeks and it's unclear how much he's going to be involved in the gameplan going forward. The good news is that Thomas does have a plus matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8. The Colts defense ranks 25th in the league in passing yards allowed per game. The Jaguars should be able to move the ball through the air, but it's unclear if Thomas is going to be targeted. The 24-year-old has seen a total of five targets over his last two games. Fantasy managers should view him as a desperation flex play for Week 8.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Kyle Larson Qualifies Third at Martinsville As He Eyes Another Championship
After his huge win at Talladega last weekend, Kyle Larson now looks well on his way to his second straight NASCAR Cup Series Championship, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver has a 73-point advantage over the rest of the Chase drivers with two races left to go in the season. It will likely take an epic failure for Larson to not win the title this year, and he gave himself even more of a boost this weekend by qualifying third for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Track position is very important at a short track like Martinsville, so qualifying third is a major advantage for Larson this weekend. With that being said, he's likely not going to be a great daily fantasy pick. Larson really just has to cruise and not make any mistakes, and this No. 5 team struggled here at Martinsville in the spring, scoring just 30 points after a ninth-place finish. During practice, Larson came on the radio to let his team know that his car "sucks," but he did note later in the session that their adjustments were making the No. 5 Chevrolet better.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Temper Your Expectations With Tyler Reddick at Martinsville
Some drivers just struggle at specific tracks. For Tyler Reddick, that track is Martinsville Speedway. The 23XI Racing driver has made 13 career starts here in the Cup Series and has posted just two top-10 finishes: a seventh here back in 2024, and an eighth here in 2021. His career average finish at this track is 19.1, which is middle-of-the-road in terms of Cup Series drivers. For a driver of Reddick's caliber, that's certainly disappointing. This weekend, Reddick qualified in 12th for Sunday's Xfinity 500, and while he may have an outside shot at a top-10 result, it's certainly not expected. The No. 45 Toyota struggled to find speed during practice this weekend, as Reddick was just 30th-fastest on the overall speed chart on Saturday. It's probably best to stay away from him in daily fantasy this weekend.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
Austin Cindric Looking to Build on Strong Martinsville Run in Spring
Keep an eye on Austin Cindric this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. There's no doubt that Team Penske knows how to bring fast race cars to this track, and Cindric joined in on the speed earlier this season, starting sixth and finishing eighth in the first stop at "The Paperclip" in 2026. He also finished fifth and sixth in the two Stages. This weekend, Cindric is off to an even better start, as he qualified fourth for Sunday afternoon's Xfinity 500. The No. 2 Ford was also strong on the speed chart in practice, posting the best 30-lap average in the field. Cindric has three top-10 finishes in the last six Martinsville races and looks poised to make it four of seven here this weekend. In DFS, he's a risky play since he's starting on the second row, but as an outside dominator, Cindric ($8.2K on DraftKings) could be a valuable mid-range tournament play if his practice speed comes true in the race.
Source: Speedway Media
Source: Speedway Media
Carson Hocevar Disappoints in Martinsville Qualifying After Strong Practice
It was an up-and-down day on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway for Carson Hocevar, as the Spire Motorsports driver had a strong practice session to start out, ranking seventh-fastest on the speed chart with a lap of 19.775 seconds. He also looked very strong on the long run in practice, ranking third or better in 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average. Even Hocevar himself remarked after practice, "That's probably the best I've ever felt here." And then qualifying happened. On his hot lap, Hocevar ended up hitting the curb and got out of the groove, ending up just 25th-fastest on the speed chart. In other words, he'll have some work to do on race day, and he's a prime Place Differential pick in DFS--as long as he can stay on the lead lap. One downside to Hocevar this weekend is that in six career Cup Series starts at the track, he's never finished better than 17th.
Source: PitByNumbers
Source: PitByNumbers
